ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — As he handed the ball off to A’s manager Bob Melvin on May 7th, Wilmer Font knew something didn’t feel right.

Font had just given up five runs to the Astros, skyrocketing his ERA to 12.38, and was experiencing the worst stretch of his career. In 17 combined innings with the Dodgers and the A’s, Font allowed a combined 24 runs and gave up 10 home runs during that stretch. The right-hander was designated for assignment by the Dodgers on April 23rd and then again by the A’s a month later.

Hoping for another chance to prove that his stints in Los Angeles and Oakland were just a bad stretch of baseball, Font was traded to the Rays on May 25th for a minor leaguer. The trade was announced minutes after the club announced they were shipping Denard Span and Alex Colomé to Seattle.

Despite racking up 178 strikeouts in 2017 for the Dodgers’ Triple A affiliate in Oklahoma City, Los Angeles decided to change up Font’s placement...